Fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism



Jan. 27, 1970 G. w. COPE FLUID-OPERATED UNCOUPLING MECHANISM 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1.967

FIG. 1

FIG. 5

Inventor: Geoffrey W. Cope his Attorney Jan. 27, 1970 G. w. COPE3,491,899

FLUID-OPERATED UNCOUPLING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 28, 1967 ZSheets-Sheet 253 9' Inventor:

Geoffrey W. Cope BYMJLWMA;

his Attorney United States Patent 3,491,899 FLUID-OPERATED UN COUPLINGMECHANISM Geoffrey W. Cope, Williamsville, N.Y., assignor to DresserIndustries, Inc., Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 28,1967, Ser. No. 663,660 Int. Cl. B61g 3/00, 7/00, 1/00 US. Cl. 213159 10Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention Due to theinterchange rules of the A.A.R., most railway couplers now in serviceare A.A.R. Standard couplers and, conventionally, such couplers aremechanically uncouplable by operating rods connected to their releasemeans and operable from the sides of cars. As pointed out in Cope PatentNo. 3,245,553, issued Apr. 1'2, 1966, there are definite advantages influid uncoupling over mechanical uncoupling, but, as the patentrecognizes, the standardizing of couplers practically requires that anymechanism for enabling a coupler to be uncoupled by fluid pressure beadapted to act through the release means of a standard coupler. Inkeeping, the patent in disclosing a fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism,applies the mechanism as exemplary of the invention to an A.A.R. Standard F freight car coupler. Although the F coupler is widely used, someninety percent of the freight car couplers now in service are theearlier developed Standard E couplers, which, while not possessing allof the advantages of E couplers, are suitable for most installations andunder certain conditions preferable to the F.

In both E and F couplers, a pivoted knuckle on the head in coupling isautomatically swung closed and locked in closed position by a gravitylock in the head and in uncoupling is unlocked and swung open as thelock is lifted by a release means known as a locklift assembly. In an Fcoupler the locklift assembly has a toggle that acts directly on thelock and a hook pivotally connected to the toggle and non-rotatablyconnected to a rotor for actuation thereby and in the exemplaryembodiment of the patent it is the rotor to which the actuator of theuncoupling mechanism is connected. Most E couplers are bottom-operatedthrough a lockiift assembly having, like that of the F coupler, a toggleand a hook but connecting those elements by a connector pivotallyconnected thereto and itself having no fixed axis. It is to theconnector that the conventional lock operating rod applies an uncouplingforce and it is with adapting a fluid-operated actuator also to apply anuncoupling force to the connector that the present invention isparticularly concerned.

Summary of the invention An object of the present invention is toprovide an improved fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism for an automaticknuckle type coupler, which is mechanically connected to and inuncoupling acts directly on a longitudinally swingable part of thecouplers locklift assembly. Another object of the invention is toprovide an improved fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism which acts onthe ice assembly part not only in uncoupling the coupler but also inpreventing accidental uncoupling.

In its preferred embodiment, the improved uncoupling mechanism includesan actuator mountable on a head of the coupler and having apressure-advanced, spring-returned piston drivably connected to anoperating shaft. A crank keyed to the shaft and directly engaging aconnector or other longitudinally swingable part of the lockliftassembly, swings the assembly in an uncoupling or locklifting directionon advance of the piston. When, as in the case of the standard Ecoupler, the assembly part engaged by the crank does not itself have afixed pivot, the engagement is such as to control the swing of the partand prevent activation of an associated anticreep which otherwise couldinterfere with the uncoupling and is rendered unnecessary by the returnspring of the actuator. If ever required, the coupler can be uncoupledmechanically by applying a turning tool to the operatingshaft or anuncoupling rod to the crank of the uncoupling mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter inthe detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure description FIGURE 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and inbalance in vertical section, of a preferred embodiment of thefluid-operated uncoupling mechanism of the present invention applied toa standard E coupler;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along lines3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 4-4of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 55of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View on an enlarged scaletaken along lines 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Detailed description Referring now in detail to the drawings in whichlike reference characters designate like parts, the improvedfluid-operated uncoupling mechanism of the present invention isparticularly designed as a specific application of the mechanism of CopePatent No. 3,245,553 to a coupler which is conventionally uncoupled by arotary force applied directly to a longitudinally swingable part of itslocklift assembly. The coupler so uncoupled now most used is the presentbottom-operated, A.A.R. standard E coupler and it is to that couplerthat the improved mechanism has been applied as exemplary of theinvention.

The present standard E coupler, designated as 1, has a head 2 mountingat the front a pivoted knuckle 3. Inside the head 2 is a gravity lock 4,only the lower portion of the leg 5 of which is shown. In an uncouplingoperation the lock 4 is lifted to unlock and throw open the knuckle 3.While an E coupler is adaptable for unlocking from the top or bottom, itis only the illustrated bottom or socalled rotary-operated type withwhich the present invention is concerned.

In the bottom or rotary-operated type of E coupler, the lifting of thelock 4 in an uncoupling operation is produced through a release train orso-called articulated locklift assembly 6 mounted on the underside ofthe head 2. The assembly 6 has three members or elements, one a toggle 7suspended from and pin-and-slot or lost motion connected at its upperend to the lock leg 5, another a hook 8 suspended from and rotating,swinging or pivoting on a fixed cross-shaft or cross-bar 9 integral orrigid with and extending between and connecting laterally spacedsocalled shaft walls integral with and depending from the head 2, andthe third a connector 11 pivotally connected at opposite ends to andconnecting lower ends of the toggle and the hook. Suspended from andswingable longitudinally of the coupler on members which themselves areswinga'ble or pivotable, the connector 11 itself does not have a fixedswinging or pivotal axis but nonetheless is limited in its swingrelative to or independently of the toggle 7 and hook 8. Rearwardly, theindependent swing of the connector 11 is limited by a stop shoulder 12on the rear end of the connector which is engagable with the back 13 ofthe hook. The limit on the forward independ swing of the connector isimposed by a secondary anticreep lug 14 on the front end of theconnector beyond its pivotal connection to the toggle 7 and a stopsurface 15 for the lug on the underside of the head 2 forwardly of theopening 16 therein for the lock leg 5.

Depending on whether the coupler 1 is to be uncouplable from one or eachside of a car, the connector 11 has on one or both sides an eye 17 forreceiving the looped or J-end of a conventional operating rod (notshown). When the hooked end of the rod is engaged with the eye 17, theupper part of the end rides on the eyes upper side 18 and the lower partin a recess or cavity 19 in the underside of the connector. Rotation ofthe rod relative to the connector is limited by an upper rear shoulder20 on the connector at the rear of the eyes upper side 18 and lowerfront and rear shoulders 21 and 22 respectively at the front and rear ofthe recess 19. As fully explained in Kayler Patent No. 2,393,912, issuedJan. 29, 1946, in which the construction and conventional operation ofthe illustrated locklift assembly 6 are described in detail, when in anuncoupling operation the operating rod is turned in an unlocking oruncoupling direction (clockwise in FIG. 4) the upper and lower parts ofits hooked end engage, respectively, the upper rear shoulder or stop 20and lower front shoulder or stop 21 on the connector and, by thereafterrotating the connector in the same direction, swing the stop shoulder 12at the back of the connector into engagement of the back 13 of unisonabout the axis of the fixed cross-shaft 9.

In the course of the usual preliminary independent rotation of theconnector or, as it is sometimes termed, rotor 11, the toggle 7 will belifted by the connector and have its upper end guided upwardly andrearwardly by the containment of the integral pin 23 on its upper end inthe diagonal slot 24 in the lock leg 25 to clear a primary anticreep lug25 on the toggle of a previously confronting ledge 26 at the front ofthe lock cavity 27. Once the swinging axis of the connector becomes thefixed axis of the cross-shaft 9, the secondary anticreep lug 14 on thefront end of the connector is positioned to pass the stop surface 15 andenter the lock leg opening 16 and further rotation of the connector inthe same direction by the operating rod will lift the lock to unlock andthrow open the knuckle 3.

Were it not that in a conventional uncoupling operation the operatingrod forced the connector 11 to swing first about the rod axis and thenabout the axis of the fixed cross-shaft 9, the forward momentum giventhe connector by the rod would carry the secondary anticreep lug 14 onthe connector forwardly beyond the lock leg opening 16 in position toengage the stop surface 15 on the underside of the head 2 and thusprevent lifting of the lock 4 sufficiently to unlock the knuckle 3. Itis this secondary anticreep and the primary anticreep provided by thetoggle lug 25 and cavity ledge 26, that ordinarily ensure againstaccidental uncoupling of the coupler under service shocks. However, aswill be explained, the secondary anticreep, unless the connector 11 isreplaced by one not having the anticreep lug 14, poses a problem inautomatic uncoupling in which, as in the illustrated embodiment, theuncoupling force is applied to a member which itself does not have afixed pivotal axis.

For adapting for fluid uncoupling an automatic knuckle type couplerhaving a locklift assembly 6, such as that of the illustrated rotaryoperated standard E coupler, the fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism 28of this invention is comprised of a fluid-operated actuator 29 mountedon the head 2 of the coupler 1, conveniently by welding or otherwisefixing or securing a mounting bracket 30 to the outside of the outer ofthe shaft walls 10 and bolting or otherwise releasably attaching ahousing or casing 31 of the actuator to the bracket. As does thatillustrated in Cope Patent No. 3,245,553, the preferred actuator 29 hascontained in the housing 31 a piston 32 having a head 33 slida'ble in anO-ring or otherwise sealingly engaging a side wall 34 of a pressurechamber 35 conveniently formed in the bottom portion of the housing. Aplunger 36 of the piston slides in a slide bore 37 in the housing 31,above or beyond and coaxial with and of less diameter than the pressurechamber 35.

The preferred piston 32 has its plunger 36 connected for axial movementeither in unison with or relative to its head 33, as by an axial pin 38on the head slidably received in an axial socket 39 in the plunger. Ofthe one-way or fluid pressure-advanced, spring-returned type, thepreferred actuator or fluid cylinder unit 29 has its piston 32 normallyyieldably held at one limit of its axial movement at which the head 33is at one, here the bottom, end of the pressure chamber 35, by a coil orother suitable return spring 40 acting between the opposite end of thechamber and a base flange or skirt 41 on the plunger 36 normally pressedby the spring against the head 33. The axial or translational motion ofthe plunger 36 is converted into rotary motion of an operating shaft 42drivably connected thereto and journaled in and extending through thehousing 31 normal or at right angles to the plunger, the drivingconnection suitably being by a pinion 43 keyed or otherwise fixedagainst relative rotation to the shaft and intermeshing with ordriva'bly engaged by a rack 44 on the plunger.

For the operating shaft 42 to act as intended, its axis should both behorizontal and extend laterally of the coupler 1 at least parallel toand preferably coaxial or concentric with the axis of the fixedcross-shaft 9 pivotally or swingably mounting the hook 8 of the lockliftassembly 6. The housing 31 of the actuator 29 is so mounted on thecoupler head 2 as to be offset or outset laterally from the lockliftassembly 6. In the preferred construction in which the conventionallocklift assembly is not changed or modified and the operating shaft 42is coaxial or concentric with the cross-shaft 9, both the housing andthe inner or inboard end 45 of the operating shaft projecting inwardlytherefrom are laterally offset or spaced from the outer or confrontingside of the outer side wall 10 on the coupler head to which the mountingbracket 30 is fixed. Preferably, the operating shaft 42 projects at bothends from the housing 31 and has its outer or out-board end 46, as wellas its inner end 45, square or otherwise out-of-round in cross section.

The rotary force or motion derivable from the operating shaft 42 istransmitted to the locklift assembly 6 by a crank or lever arm 47, fixedat an upper end, as by welding, to the inner end 45 of the operatingshaft 42 and engaging the connector. The preferred crank or crank arm 47is in the form of a bail or U-shaped member projecting downwardly ordownstanding from the operating and cross-shafts 42 and 9 and laterallystraddling or embracing both the locklift assembly 6 and the spacedwalls 10 to and between which the cross-shaft is fixed. Of the spaced,downstanding, generally vertical outer and inner legs 48 and 49,respectively, of the bail 47, the outer is socketed to non-rotatablyreceive and be fixed to the inner end 45 of the operating shaft 42,while, to minimize bending, the inner leg is apertured at its upper endto rotatably receive a trunnion 50 concentric or coaxial with theoperating shaft and fixed to or rigid with and instanding from amounting plate 51, which in turn is Welded or otherwise fixed to theoutside of the inner of the side or shaft walls 10. In the exemplaryapplication of the mechanism 28, the horizontal, bottom or cross-leg 52of the bail 47 underlies and fits or seats in the downwardly openingrecess 19 in the bottom or underside of the connector 11.

Rotated or turned by the operating shaft 42, and forwardly when fluidpressure is applied to the actuator 29',

v the bail 47, by engagement of its bottom leg 52 with the shoulder 21at the front end of the recess 19, can apply a forward rotary force ormotion to the connector 11 and that force, transmitted through thetoggle 7 to the lock 4, would uncouple the coupler if applied eitherslowly or in the absence of the'secondary anticreep lug 14 on theconnectors front end. However, in the presence of that lug and on arapid application of the uncoupling force, the tendency of that force,because of the connectors lack of a fixed pivot, would be to impartsuflicient forward momentum to the connector to carry the lug 14forwardly beyond the lock leg opening 16 and prevent uncoupling byengage-ment of the lug with the stop surface 15 on the underside of thehead 2. To avoid this tendency without changing or modifying thelocklift assembly 6, there is provided on the bails bottom leg 52 arearwardly directed spur 53, which, together with the leg, is ofsubstantially the longitudinal extent of the recess 19 and has its freerear end confronting and engageable with the shoulder 22 at the recesssrear end with either no or, for manufacturing tolerances, slightclearance therebetween when the leg is engaged with the front shoulder21.

With the bottom leg 52 so spurred, and thereby substantiallylongitudinally filling the recess or seat 19, relative longitudinal orrotary movementof the bail and the connector is practically eliminatedand the connector, although acted upon only at the bottom, will beforced to rotate about the common axis of theoperating and cross-shafts42 and 9 about which thebail 47 rotates, even in the initial stage of anuncoupling operation in which the connector is otherwise free to rotaterelative to the hook 8. However rapidly the uncoupling force is applied,the spur 53 on the bail 47 therefore will efiectively lock out orprevent activation of the secondary anticreep 14 and 15 and ensure thatthe applied uncoupling force will uncouple the coupler. The inactivationof the secondary anticreep does not increase the likelihood ofaccidental uncoupling, since the connection of the bail and connectoragainst substantial relative motion enables the return spring 40 in thehousing 31 to apply a positive anticreep force for holding or lockingthe connector against movement in a forward or uncoupling direction,except when fluid pressure is applied to actuate the actuator 29, andrenders unnecessary both the primary and secondary anticreepsconventionally required. Too, the practical elimination of relativelongitudinal movement or play between the bail and the connector and thelack of need for secondary or primary anticreep devices, enables thebail to be so normally positioned by the actuator 29 as normally to holdthe connector with its shoulder 12 in engagement with the back 13 of thehook. In this preferred arrangement, as a consequence, the hook andcoupler are in efiect unitary despite their pivotal connections, and inan uncoupling operation swing in unison about the axis of the hook.

After it is fitted with the above described uncoupling mechanism 28, thecoupler 1 is adapted to be uncoupled by applying fluid pressure to thehead or fluid end of the pressure chamber 35 in the housing 31 of theactuator 29 through a fluid supply or inlet pipe or tube 54. As theautomatically and manually operable operating means and the fluidconnections therebetween and the actuator, shown in Cope Patent No.3,245,553 for automatically or manually operating the species ofcoupling mechanism illustrated therein, are equally suitable for thepresent coupling mechanism and described in detail in the patent, itwill suflice to refer to that patent for an understanding of the mannerin which actuating fluid is supplied to the actuator 29 through thesupply pipe 54. However, it should be emphasized that, as in the patent,the preferred actuating fluid is a suitable liquid to avoid the lag inoperation attendant the use of a compressible gaseous actuating medium,and at least the part of the supply pipe 54 adjacent the actuator 29 isflexible to accommodate the range of service movements of the couplerhead 2. Also, as in the species illustrated in the patent, the presentmechanism will fail safe in case of a failure in the fluid pressuresystem, since the force of the return spring 40, applied to theconnector 11 through the bail 47, normally holds the locklift assembly 6in its coupler locked or coupled position.

If a break or other failure in the fluid system should occur when thecoupler 1 is coupled and uncoupling is necessary the uncouplingmechanism is adapted for mechanical actuation either by applying asuitably socketed turning tool (not shown) to the outer end 46 of theoperating shaft 42 or by connecting the looped end of a conventionaloperating rod to the adjoining leg 48 or 49 of the bail 47. In eithercase, the separability of the plunger 36 and head 33 of the preferredpiston 32 enables the plunger to be moved to uncoupling position againstthe force of the return spring 40 but without restraint by thefrictional engagement of the then stationary head with the side wall 34of the pressure chamber 35.

The mounting of the uncoupling mechanism 28 on the coupler head 2 is asimple operation. The bail 47 will have had its outer leg 48 fixed tothe inner end 45 of the operating shaft 42 during assembly of themechanism and the only preliminaries required on the coupler head 2 arethe welding of the mounting bracket 30 and mounting plate 51 and itstrunnion 50 in the proper positions on the side walls 10, suitably byusing templates. In the actual mounting, the bail 47 will be slid underthe connector 11 and canted upwardly toward its inner leg 49 so that thelatter can be applied to the trunnion 50, this step being facilitated bybeveling the upper part of the leg, as at 55, and downwardly elongatingthe slot or aperture 56 in the leg in which the trunnion is received.All that then remains to complete the mounting is to swing the actuator29 up to position and bolt its housing 31 to the mounting bracket 30.

From the above detailed description it will be apparent that there hasbeen provided a fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism for adapting foruncoupling by fluid pressure without change in the locklift assembly acoupler in which theuncoupling force conventionally is applied to alongitudlnally swingably member of the assembly. It should be understoodthat the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of theinvention and that all modifications are intended to be included that donot depart from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism for a bottom-operated automaticknuckle type coupler uncoupled by actuation of a locklift assemblydepending from a head and including a part pivotally suspended fromforward and rearward parts and normally swingable generallylongitudinally of the coupler, comprising a fluidoperated actuator meansmounted on said head, said actuator means including a fluid-advanced,spring-retracted piston and an operating shaft drivably connected to androtatable about a fixed axis by said piston, crank means mounted on saidshaft for rotation therewith and engaging said longitudinally swingablepart of the locklift assembly for operating the assembly on applicationof fluid pressure to said actuator means and restriction means betweensaid longitudinally swingable part and said crank means acting againstsaid longitudinally swingable part concomitantly with rotation of saidcrank means by said shaft to restrict movement of said longitudinallyswingable part to an uncoupling direction offset from its normallyswingable direction.

2. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 1, whereinthe crank means and the swingable part are connected against substantialrelative movement longitudinally of the coupler.

3. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 1,whereinthe crank means is engageable with stop means on an underside ofthe swingable part.

4. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 3, whereinthe stop means are front and rear stops longitudinally bounding a seatin the underside of the swingable part, and the crank means supports andrestriction means fitting in said seat and acting through said stops foralternately moving the assembly in an uncoupling direction onapplication of fluid pressure to'the actuator means and in the absenceof said pressure positively holding the assembly in coupling positionunder the spring force normally holding the piston in retractedposition.

5. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 4, whereinthe rearward part of the locklift assembly is suspended from androtatable abouta cross-shaft fixed to the head, and the operating shaftis coaxial with the cross-shaft.

6. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 5, whereinthe swingable part of the locklift assembly engageable by the crankmeans is pivotally connected at the rear to the rearward part of theassembly and the crank portion substantially longitudinally fills theseat in the swingable part between the stops and is so normallypositioned as to force the swingable part and rearward part of theassembly to swing in unison about the axis of the cross-shaft throughoutmovement of the assembly in an uncoupling direction.

7. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism for a bottom-operated automaticknuckle type coupler uncoupled by actuation of a locklift assemblydepending from a head, said locklift assembly including a rear portionsuspended from and rotatable about a cross-shaft fixed to the headbetween laterally spaced longitudinally extending walls rigid with anddepending vertically from the head and a part pivotally suspended fromforward and rearward parts having front and rear stops longitudinallybounding a seat in the underside thereof and swingable longitudinally ofthe coupler, comprising a fluid-operated actuator means mounted on saidhead, said actuator means including a fluid-advanced, spring-retractedpiston and an operating shaft coaxial with said cross-shaft drivably'connected to and rotatable about a fixed axis by said piston, and bailcrank means mounted on said shaft and acting through said stops foralternately moving the assembly in an uncoupling direction onapplication of fluid pressure to the actuator means and in the absenceof said pressure positively holding the assembly in coupling positionunder the spring force normally holding the piston in retractedposition, said crank means having outer and inner legs laterallystraddling the locklift assembly and said walls and a bottom leg fittingin the seat in the swingable part, said outer and inner legs beingrespectively non-rotatably fixed to an end of the operating shaftoutside one of said walls and rotatably mounted on the outside of theother of said walls.

8. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 7, whereinthe bottom leg of the bail is engageable with one of the stopslongitudinally bounding the seat in the=swingable part, and a spur fixedto and extending longitudinally from the bottom leg and therewithsubstantially longitudinally filling the seat is engageable with theother stop.

9. A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 8, includinga mounting bracket fixed to the outside of one of the walls, a mountingplate fixed to the outside of the other wall, and a trunnion rigid withand outstanding from said plate and coaxial with the operating shaft,and wherein a housing of the actuator is releasably attached to themounting bracket and the upper end portion of the inner leg of the bailis apertured to rotatably re- 'ceive said trunnion.

10. 'A fluid-operated uncoupling mechanism according to claim 9, whereinthe aperture in the inner bail leg in which the trunnion is rotatablyreceived is downwardly elongated and an upper portion of the inner legis upwardly and outwardly beveled on a side thereof facing the plate.

' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,393,912 1/1946 Kayler 213-1482,408,653 10/1946 Kinne 2l3l53 2,836,307 5/1958 Wolfe 213159 3,245,5534/1966 Cope 213--212 DRA YTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.2l3166, 170, 212

